KOCHI: Climbing stairs is usually an ordeal. However, that’s not the case at MG Road Kochi Metro Station, where people are joyously climbing up and down the stairs. Wondering why? The magical stairs there can create music. The first-of-its-kind initiative in the state was set up by a group of young engineers from Kochi-based startup Triaxia Infotech Pvt Ltd.
Speaking to TNIE about the concept, Sanjo Simon, the founder and managing director of the startup, said, “The idea was proposed by Sumi Nadarajan, deputy general manager of sustainability at KMRL. She was looking for a startup that could execute this idea immediately.” He said the main objective was to provide metro commuters with a bit of entertainment and bring more footfall at the station. The stairs will also advocate a healthy lifestyle through exercise. Sanjo said it took them a month-and-half of research and development to build the stairs.
“We improvised by incorporating motion sensors that trigger light and piano notes when someone steps on the stairs,” he said. Explaining the features of the musical stairs, Sanjo said it includes a unique customisation feature that accommodates different instruments, not just a piano. “It could be a guitar, a harp, a saxophone or even a flute. The whole system can be updated over the air,” he said. Jishnu, Akhil, Smruthi, Anand and Hena are part of the team that designed it.
This is Triaxia’s pilot project. “We will maintain the stairs for two months and then based on the feedback, we will work on other permanent versions,” said Sanjo who founded Triaxia in 2017. The company is coming up with more projects now. “We are looking forward to announcing them once we have a plan in place,” he said. As of now, Triaxia is a bootstrapped startup. The team is on the lookout for investors for individual projects.